This invention relates generally to a system for mass termination of shielded multiple signal wires and, more particularly, to a mated connector and header assembly for that function.
Cables composed of multiple signal wires are used extensively in many electronic applications. Particularly popular are both flat and twisted flat ribbon cables that alternate ground wires with signal wires to reduce interwire cross talk. Additional protection from electrical interference is provided frequently by a shield in the form of a conductive sheet that overlies the signal wires in a cable and is connected to chassis ground. Certain problems result from the present techniques utilized to complete this ground connection.
In some systems, drain wires connected to the shield are equipped with lugs that are fastened to a chassis each time a connector terminating the cable is engaged with a mated header. This approach is rather cumbersome in that the lug must be handled in a separate operation during each connection or disconnection of the cable. In addition, the relatively small gauge drain wires are highly susceptible to damage during the connection procedures.
Other systems connect the drain wires directly to signal contacts in a connector employed to terminate a cable. This technique exhibits the disadvantage of sacrificing contacts that could otherwise be dedicated to signal wires. Furthermore, the ground connections obtained sometimes are not reliable because the drain wires generally are bare and have a tendency to float during interconnection.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved connection system for the mass termination of shielded multiple signal wires.